The first phase of Mosaic is slated to open in fall 2012. It is more than two-thirds leased and includes a mix of 400,000 square feet of national and local retailers, an eight-screen arthouse cinema, 150-room boutique hotel, 60,000 square feet of Class A office space, and 114 townhomes.

Real estate developer Edens & Avant has broken ground on Mosaic, a 31-acre mixed-use development in Merrifield, Va. The project has been under way for more than a decade, but is now finally beginning to become a reality.

“We knew the area was under-served and ripe for smart growth development,” Congressman Gerald Connolly said in a statement. “This town center is the key to the future of Merrifield, and the transformative urban revitalization that the community envisioned is now underway.”

The first phase of Mosaic is slated to open in fall 2012. It is more than two-thirds leased and includes a mix of 400,000 square feet of national and local retailers, an eight-screen arthouse cinema, 150-room boutique hotel, 60,000 square feet of Class A office space, and 114 townhomes.

“As a company, we are energized to be part of the revitalization of this district in Fairfax County,” Edens & Avant president and chief investment officer Jodie McLean said when announcing the news. “We view our project as the ember of a much larger urban plan that will be the catalyst of economic and community development for a much larger district.”

Edens & Avant develops, owns and operates neighborhood shopping centers in primary markets throughout the East Coast, focusing on retail in major metro areas. Its portfolio encompasses more than 128 retail centers in 15 states, with regional headquarters in Boston, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Miami, and Columbia, S.C.